Irrational EU
Sir: James Forsyth’s otherwise excellent piece on Brexit talks (‘Britain’s winning hand’, 26 November) suffers from the flaw of most British analyses of the EU: the presumption that the EU is a rational actor. If that were so, Greece would not be in the euro, Europe’s borders would not be guarded by Turkey, and David Cameron would have returned from his talks with a deal enabling the EU to keep one of the world’s most successful countries in the union. The recent EU history of perversity and intransigence suggests that whatever aces Theresa May holds, she should prepare to walk away from the table as empty-handed as her predecessor. Fortunately for Mrs May, a successful Brexit does not depend on the EU, which will only grow weaker with time, but on productive relations with the rest of the world.
Max Kaye
Bath
Unlucky for some
Sir: While failing to get to sleep last night I worked out that Donald Trump will be the 13th president and Theresa May the 13th prime minister of the Queen’s reign (counting Wilson once).
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